Automated teller machines (ATMs) are in widespread use and provide several functions to allow self-service transactions to be made by holders of electronic accounts with financial institutions such as banks, credit unions, and the like. ATMs offer several conveniences including that ATMs may be accessed at any time, and may be installed in many locations including in or near the premises of financial institutions, as well as gas stations, shopping malls, airports, groceries, retailers, and the like.
A range of transactions may be performed at an ATM including currency (cash or banknote) withdrawals, currency or check deposits, account balance inquiries, account transfer, payment, or maintenance activities, and the like. A plastic card with a magnetic stripe or a chip that contains a unique card number may be inserted into a card slot of the ATM, and a personal identification number or other security token may be received, in order to identify and authenticate an account.
ATMs can dispense media (such as currency) from one or more cassettes contained within the ATM. Typically the mix of banknotes of currency is dispensed according to a pre-defined template. Where a unique or non-standard mix of media items is desired, more than one transaction, or indeed a teller-assisted transaction, may be required. There is a motivation for ATMs to handle more and different types of transactions in order to reduce the need for manual intervention, and to improve personalization, transparency, usefulness, and efficiency of ATMs in bank branches and elsewhere.
Improvements in ATMs and media dispensing methods and systems are desirable.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a review of the drawings.